A Different Kind of Evil
by Rebel798
Summary: Story based on the Resident Evil game for Gamecube. A normal girl suddenly gets transported into a seemingly innocent video game. How will she get out? I started this a while ago, and if you want more, just review or e-mail me.
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
My name is Lauren, just you're regular teenage "chick." You know, wimpy, whiny, never been in the presence of any real danger in my entire life. Of course that was before. well I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start over.  
  
My brother just got that new Resident Evil game for his Gamecube. Even with a zombie on the cover trying to eat a woman, the game looked so innocent. So quiet. So peaceful. Just another gory game to desensitize the youth of America.  
  
Ha.  
  
Anyway, you know how siblings are. We fight, we forgive, and then we're at eachother's throats in about an hour. You know, quality time. But this time, he went too far. He lost my Eminem CD, the most prized of all my posessions. What else could I do but attack his most prized possision. Resident Evil.  
  
I stormed into the living room, ripped open the case, and took out one of the disks. The other one was still in the Gamecube. I looked at it, and although it seemed normal, there was something strange about it. I brushed away the thought as my brother was approaching.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he said. He was bigger than me, and more smug. He didn't really believe I would do anything.  
  
"Where's my CD?" I asked angrily.  
  
"How should I know?" he said. "Give me back my game!"  
  
"I'm tired of you losing my stuff!" I yelled. "Let's see how you like it!" I snapped the game in two and threw it at him.  
  
Juvenile? This is nothing. You should have seen the great Monopoly war of 97. There were no survivors, only remnants of a hat and iron, burned houses, and a couple of hundreds lying in the battered and beaten box. What money can do to people.  
  
"What the fuck are you doing!?" he screamed. Uh-oh. I knew he would be mad, but his eyes were scarier than anything I've ever seen. Well, anything I've ever seen yet. I had to think fast. My eyes darted to the tv screen. The game was paused. He must have left to take a little bathroom break.  
  
I dove to the Gamecube, my hand reaching the "Open" button.  
  
"Don't even think about it!" my brother raged on.  
  
"Don't come any closer than!" I warned. This was going to get worse before it got better, but at least I had somewhat of a plan.  
  
Of course, my brother doesn't listen to me, and came charging forward. I pressed the button on the Gamecube and the lid popped open. I grabbed the disk and ripped it out.  
  
I screamed in pain. There was an electrival shock that ran through my body. White light was all that I saw, then blackness. I was in the game. 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
  
I had a falling sensation, and it felt like that for a while. I wondered if I was ever going to get out of here. Or at least, land.  
  
No sooner than I thought that did my body hit the floor. Hard. Pain racked through my body but at least nothing was broken. At least - that's almost funny.  
  
I got up slowly, when I heard a click. I turned around, and to my surprise, I was not alone. There were four people in the room with me. Three guys, and one girl. The first guy was wearing sunglasses, and by the uniform he was wearing, he seemed to be in charge. The mystery of the click was solved, as I saw he was pointing a gun at me. In fact, everyone was.  
  
The second guy was a bit older, but I honestly didn't get a good look at him. I was too busy looking at the massive gun he was pointing at me. The third guy was the youngest it seemed like, with rugged good looks, and he was also pointing a gun at me. The girl was pretty, with short hair and a beret. Very chic. And you guessed it, she was pointing a gun at me.  
  
I wasn't sure what to do. I really didn't know why they were pointing guns at me. Even the skinny chick could have my ass if I tried to put up a fight. I decided to play it safe and slowly put my hands over my head.  
  
"Don't shoot me please!" I yelled, panicked. Thankfully, they all put their weapons away, and I relaxed a bit.  
  
"Sorry about that." said the sun-glassed man. "We really didn't know what to do when you fell from the ceiling. What happened?"  
  
"Uh, I don't know. One minute I was in my living room and now I'm." I trailed off as I started to look around for the first time. I was in the huge main hall of some mansion. It would have been nice if it wasn't for the dust and the. yuck. spiders.  
  
"Well since we're stuck together I might as well." the sun-glassed man started.  
  
"Whoa, what do you mean 'stuck together'?" I interrupted.  
  
"We are part of the S.T.A.R.S. team, and we were sent to investigate this mansion. The other team, the B.R.A.V.O. team lost contact with us during their investigation. I am the captain, Albert Wesker. This is Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, and Barry." The sun glassed Albert Wesker said.  
  
"Barry what?" I asked.  
  
"I don't know, we never really asked." said Wesker.  
  
I saw Barry silently wipe away a tear. I raised my eyebrows, but I had more important things to think about. I kept looking at Jill. She looked awfully familiar.  
  
"We have to look for the B.R.A.V.O. team" Wesker said, bringing me out of my thoughts. "Chris, you take the upstairs, Jill you go to the room on the right, I'll stay in the hall, and Barry, you take the kid with you in the left room."  
  
"Umm, excuse me, but why can't I stay in here? It's well lit and that guy makes me nervous. Middle aged Caucasian man with only one name and an affinity for big weapons? That's the profile of a serial killer! Why is your gun so big anyway? What are you compensating for?" I asked annoyed.  
  
"Look," Wesker started, rubbing his forehead, "could you just go with him? You'll be safe I promise."  
  
"Fine." I said. The last thing I wanted was to explore this creepy mansion, but if it would help to get me out of here, then fine.  
  
"Ok everybody, move out!" Wesker said. Chris went up the stairs cautiously, and Jill went in the room on the right.  
  
"Before we go," Barry spoke for the first time, and he sounded surprisingly gentle, despite his hardened appearance. "I think we should set up some rules. First stay by me at ALL times. Second -"  
  
Barry was cut of by a loud scream in the room Jill was in. We were all startled, and froze for a second before we ran to the door and ripped it open.  
  
Inside, Jill was struggling with a. a zombie? No way. The zombie was trying to bite her, but she grabbed its shoulders, and was trying to push it away. Looking at the scene before me, something flashed into my head. It was her! The girl on the video game box! Does that mean I've somehow been transported into the game? Oh man, this sounds like something those video game weirdoes would dream about.  
  
I was snapped out of my thoughts when Barry shot a couple of rounds into the zombie. It let go of Jill, and turned to us. Then Barry expertly shot the zombie in the head. Blood literally squirted everywhere. It was some serious overkill, but at least the zombie was dead.  
  
The room was silent for a few minutes, everyone trying to take in what they've just seen. Jill was breathing pretty hard, obviously shaken. I even forgot about my dilemma for the moment. Then, the cool-headed Wesker began to speak.  
  
"Alright everyone, make sure to be extra careful! Jill, continue on and stay alert! Barry, keep an extra close eye on the kid. Now lets go!"  
  
We walked into the main hall in silence. My heart was still pounding, and my legs were shaky. I must have been breathing harder than I thought because Barry asked if I was all right. I nodded, although I wasn't sure if I was really ok or not. How am I gonna get out of here?  
  
"Ok, I'm going to open the door and rush in. Only come in if I say it's ok to, alright?" Barry said.  
  
I nodded, preparing for the worst. Barry opened the door and went in. I waited nervously. What if Barry was attacked by another zombie? What could I do to help him?  
  
Thirty seconds passed by. Then one minute. Then two. What's taking so long? I couldn't' wait any longer. I rushed into the room. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
I ran into the room, expecting an onslaught of zombie. Instead, there was nothing. It was actually a quaint little dining room, with candlesticks illuminating the darkness.  
  
"Barry?" I called out. My voice echoed, and I looked up, seeing that there was another room about this one.  
  
"Over here." I heard Barry say. I rushed over to him, relieved that he was still in one piece. He was kneeling on the ground, looking at something. "Didn't I tell you to wait?" he asked, but he didn't really sound annoyed. He clearly had something else on his mind. Hell, who didn't?  
  
"I got worried. What are you looking at?" I asked, feeling as if a zombie was still lurking around somewhere.  
  
"Look at this bloodstain. I hope it isn't someone I knew." Barry said softly.  
  
"I'm sure it isn't." I said. Truthfully, I wasn't sure about anything, but I offered Barry a smile. He smiled back, and I was glad I was placed with him. That Wesker guy seemed a little. cold.  
  
"We better get going." He said, pointing at the door at the end of the dining room. I nodded, and Barry got up and walked over to the door. I stood back, and he opened it up. He looked from side to side, and motioned me to follow.  
  
I walked over to him, and we found ourselves in a corridor. I couldn't see all the way down on the right, but the left side was pretty well lit. Barry started walking carefully towards the left, and I followed close behind.  
  
Suddenly, Barry was about to go around a corner when he stopped. He had a horrific expression on his face, and he turned a ghastly pale color.  
  
"Barry, what is it?" I whispered, frightened.  
  
He wasn't answering me so I had to take a look for myself. Around the corner, there was another zombie, apparently eating something, and making loud smacking sounds. I leaned in for a closer look behind Barry and realized he was eating a person. The guy was still alive, his eyes wide open, along with his mouth. The zombie ripped out his throat, and the guy slumped over, dead.  
  
The zombie, finished with his meal, turned around and realized he had some company. He moaned and rose to his feet and shuffled toward us.  
  
I looked over at Barry, and the look of horror was replaced with sheer rage. Barry took aim, and emptied a round into the zombie's chest. I covered my ears and backed away. Barry shot the zombie again. It fazed him, but he was still steadily shuffling towards him. This time, Barry shot him in the head, and the familiar splash of blood washed over the carpet, walls, and Barry.  
  
Barry didn't seem to mind, however. He kneeled down next to the body the zombie had partially eaten. I walked over to him.  
  
"Oh my God." Barry said, choked up a little. "They killed Kenny."  
  
"You bastards." I said. I left Barry alone with the corpse, now named Kenny, and walked over to a painting on the wall and pretended to look at it. I looked over at Kenny, his throat and eyes still open, staring into space. Man, what a way to go.  
  
"Did you know him well? I asked Barry.  
  
"No, but he was part of the B.R.A.V.O. team. I only met him a couple of times. A good kid. Good kid." Barry trailed off, apparently trying to fight back tears.  
  
"Sorry about that. Look, he was holding onto this." Barry said, handing me a videotape.  
  
I looked it over. Seemed like an ordinary tape to me. No label was on it.  
  
"We need a VCR or something to play it." Barry said.  
  
Well duh, I thought. I decided to keep that to myself. No sense in being rude, especially now. I just wanted to get out of here. I've never seen a dead body in my life, and now I've been standing in the same room with one for at least 10 minutes.  
  
"We'd better report this to Wesker." Barry said, seemingly reading my thoughts.  
  
We walked over the dead zombie and back into the dining room. We walked back to the main hall in silence. When we got there, Wesker was gone.  
  
"Wesker!" we both yelled. In the middle of the hall, there was a handgun. Barry went over to it and picked it up.  
  
"That's strange. This is definitely Wesker's handgun." Barry said. "I'm going to go look upstairs. Stay here.  
  
Barry went up the stairs. I looked around the room nervously. I walked around, and realized there was a hallway next to the dining room door, under the stairs. I walked over to it, and there was a major contrast between the nice marble of the main room and the cement of the hallway. It was very dimly lit, and it smelled awful. There was a door there. It actually looked more like a cage or prison with the bars. I was about to touch it, when a loud moan pierced the air, and then a rattling of chains. It sounded like a woman. She could be hurt, but my first instinct was to haul ass.  
  
I ran back in to the main hall as fast as I could, and started panting. I know the moan sounded like it came from a woman, but I seriously didn't trust that idea. It's probably some mutated beast with a remote form of a woman, with inhuman strength of course.  
  
Barry came back down the stairs, shaking his head. I'm guessing he didn't find Wesker.  
  
"I didn't find Wesker." Barry said. Bingo. I hate it when I'm right. "But, I want you to hold onto this, in case we get separated."  
  
Barry handed me the gun, but I held up my hands.  
  
"Whoa whoa whoa!" I said. "I don't do guns." Seriously, guns scare the heck out of me. And considering I've seen two zombies already, that's saying something.  
  
"Look, it's either you take it and survive, or you don't take it and die. It's your choice." Barry said, holding the gun out to me.  
  
"Ok, ok." I said, reluctantly taking the handgun.  
  
"Let's go back to that corridor we found." said Barry, leading the way. I followed, holding the gun as far away from me as possible. It looked silly, but who was going to laugh at me, the zombies?  
  
We went back over to where Kenny's body was. Next to him was a door. Barry opened it and cautiously walked in. He took a quick look, and motioned me to come inside. We were in the middle of a dark hallway, with only the light from the windows to guide us. At the end of the hallway was a room with stairs leading up to another room.  
  
There was a table in the room, with a cage on it, and something I couldn't identify. I looked in the cage and there was a dead raven inside. Isn't that some kind of omen? Things were getting better all the time.  
  
Barry walked over to the cage, but didn't seem too interested in it. Instead, he picked up the object next to the cage.  
  
"Hey, look!" he said. "You can use these clips for you gun." He handed me the ammo, and I put it in my pocket. I hoped I wouldn't have to use them.  
  
Other than the table, there wasn't much else to look at. Barry started up the stairs, and motioned me to follow. There was another door up there, which led to another hallway. This hallway however, was built somewhat like a maze, and there were mirrors everywhere. As we walked in, we noticed there was another zombie on the floor, except he was a bright red color.  
  
"He looks like he's dead. Best to leave him alone." Barry whispered, in case the zombie was just playing possum. Nope. He seemed dead as a doornail.  
  
Suddenly, the distinctive moan of a zombie filled the hallway. Barry cocked his gun and cautiously peered down the hallway. He kept going and I followed behind him. We went all the way to the end, where there were two doors and a mirror to greet us.  
  
"That's strange, where is that thing?" Barry said, shaking his head. I shrugged my shoulders and looked into the mirror. I looked awful. My hair was all messed up, and blood was spattered all over my jeans and shirt. I tried to fix myself as best as I could, when I noticed something moving behind me.  
  
"Barry, there's the zombie!" I yelled. Barry whipped around, but it was too late. The zombie grabbed onto him, trying to bite him. They struggled until the zombie's back was facing me.  
  
"Shoot him quick." Barry yelled, his calm exterior gone. I almost forgot about the gun in my hand, which was now covered in sweat. I breathed hard, took aim, and popped a cap in his ass.  
  
No, literally - I popped a cap in his ass. The zombie yelped, obviously not expecting that one. He turned his attention toward me and I quickly backed away. It's a good thing that zombies are pretty slow. Barry quickly recovered, and shot the zombie in the back. The zombie let out a final moan of protest and fell face down on the ground, bleeding out all over the carpet.  
  
"You ok? I asked Barry meekly.  
  
"Yeah, how about you?" he asked.  
  
I nodded and tried to catch my breath. By the time the game was over, I would either have severe nightmares, hear failure, or my hair would be white. Why couldn't I be transported into one of those Sesame Street games? Well, I guess I should be thankful that my brother wasn't into hentai games.  
  
"Well, we better get going." Barry said, moving over to the door on the right side of the mirror. It opened it easily. It lead out into a circular hallway above the dining room. We walked around the hallway, nothing special. Barry went to go examine paintings on the wall, while I leaned against a statue that was apparently concealing a gap in the railing. I was glad to have the time to think. What happens if I die? Well I die in real life too? Or will I be out of the game? If I finished the game, will I be able to get out of here?  
  
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't realize the statue was slowly moving towards the edge. I felt a falling sensation and quickly stood up. However, the statue didn't have the same luck I did. It fell into the dining room with a loud crash  
  
"What did you do?" Barry asked, giving me the evil eye.  
  
"Nothing." I said quickly, trying to look innocent. By the look on Barry's face, it wasn't working. We both looked over the railing into the dining room. The statue was smashed up pretty badly.  
  
"Now look at what you did!" Barry said, irritated.  
  
"Hey, it's not like the zombies are big fans of interior decorating! I mean, what's the theme of this house anyway? Creepy mansion? How original." I said, equally annoyed.  
  
"Look, let's just get out of here." Barry said. There was a pair of double doors at the end of the hall. We went through them, and it led into the upstairs of the main hall.  
  
"It's like a goddamn maze." he said. We walked back down the stairs, where we first started. I took the opportunity to rest on one of the stairs. I didn't realize how tired I was. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get up again.  
  
"Come on, let's go see if we can find Jill." Barry said, walking towards the door on the right. I sighed and reluctantly followed him.  
  
The zombie we first saw had disappeared. There wasn't a trace of him, not a single blood stain. Maybe there was some sort of zombie clean-up crew.  
  
"Look, there's some sort of art room back here." Barry said. It was very dark, and I really didn't want to go looking at paintings. Although there was a particular painting of the mansion that caught my eye. It was as long as I was. I pulled on it, and it opened a secret room.  
  
Woah, maybe this will help me get out of here I thought to myself. I rushed in excitedly, hoping for a secret portal or some kind of machine to take me back. Instead, I was greeted with some old clothes on hangers. Boy was that anti-climatic or what?  
  
Needless to say I was pretty discouraged. Why would someone go through all that trouble to hide a wardrobe room? I looked at the clothes, and none of them seemed valuable, or even remotely stylish. Some had even fallen victim to moths.  
  
Barry walked in the room, and I tried to hide the disappointment on my face. Didn't work.  
  
"Why so down?" Barry asked. I just shrugged my shoulders.  
  
"Well, your clothes are pretty bloodstained. Maybe you should borrow something. I'll wait outside." Barry left and closed the door behind him.  
  
I looked around, and there wasn't a great selection. I finally settled on some black baggy pants that I guess were once tuxedo pants and a somewhat loose-fitting black long-sleeved shirt that had a logo of an angel on it. There was a mirror in the room, and I tried my best not to look like a bum. Wasn't working. Oh well, it wasn't Lara Croft, but I guess it had to do.  
  
I stepped outside and walked back into Jill's room where Barry was waiting. He looked at me, surprised, and tried to hold back a smile.  
  
"Shut up." I said annoyed. "Let's go."  
  
We walked to the end of the room where a door was. We went through the normal drill of Barry going in first and me following. I held on tightly to my gun. The door led into a long corridor, with windows every 2 feet from each other. It was pitch-black outside, and I couldn't see anything.  
  
Barry and I slowly walked down the hallway. The wind was rattling the windows and I jumped at every sound. I heard a crack and whipped around. The window had broken a bit.  
  
I sighed. I really shouldn't get so worked up about this. As long as I was with Barry, I was safe. There was another door at the end of the corridor.  
  
We went through the drill again, looking around carefully. It was a dimly lit hallway, with many doors.  
  
"We'll have to go through every door to make sure we find all the survivors." Barry said.  
  
The first door was a heavy- looking metal door. We went through it and we ended up outside. I could hear dogs barking, but I couldn't see them. It was chilly outside, and I didn't feel like walking out here.  
  
"We shouldn't go outside yet." Barry asked. We should just call out for them." Barry took a deep breath and yelled out, "Hello? This is the S.T.A.R.S. team! We're here to help you!" No answer.  
  
We waited for a couple of minutes. Barry yelled out his message again, but still no answer. We decided to keep looking in the mansion. We continued down the hallway, until we found another door. This one led to the bathroom.  
  
"Eeww, gross!" I exclaimed. And indeed, it was gross. Nobody had cleaned it in years it seemed like. There was dirt and dust covering the sink, floor, and bathtub. There were spiders and roaches crawling all over the place, and the toilet.lets just not go there.  
  
The bathtub was full of grimy water, I looked in, but I couldn't even see the bottom.  
  
"Pull the plug will you?" Barry asked. I gave him a strange look.  
  
Are you smoking something?!" I yelled. "I'm not sticking my hand in there!"  
  
"Just do it!" Barry said annoyed. "How about you do it?" I said. "I have to make sure nothing pops out and kills us!" "Oh yeah, thanks! Something could bite my hand off!" "I won't let that happen!" "BS! If you want to see what's in there so much, you do it!" "You!" "You!" "You!" "You!"  
  
A hand reached out of the tub, stopping our argument. Soon, a head emerged as well. It was a zombie. Their expressions are usually blank, but this one looked pissed. I guess we accidentally woke it up.  
  
"Look what you did!" I exclaimed. "What I did? You're the one who started yelling!" Barry shouted.  
  
"So! You're the one who wanted me to have my hand bitten off!" "So, I've been doing all the work!" "What work? Leading us into zombie traps?" "You ungrateful little." "SHUT UUUUUP!" The zombie screamed at the top of its lungs.  
  
Barry and I stood shocked. In the midst of our arguing, we had forgotten about the zombie. We certainly didn't know zombies could talk, and we just stared blankly at him.  
  
But we soon snapped out of it.  
  
"Look what you've done! You could've gotten us killed!" "What I've done?! You're supposed to be the manly man, with your big gun, shooting your way through every situation!" "Don't tempt me!" "Oh, I'd like to see you try!"  
  
We both pointed our guns at each other. The zombie sighed and held its head in its hands.  
  
"What, are you gonna shoot me, little girl?" Barry said mockingly. "If you don't shut up, I'm going to cap you where I shot that other zombie!" I yelled.  
  
The zombie began peeling at its skin, tearing off little bits of flesh.  
  
"Well if you're not careful I might shoot your ass first!" "You go ahead-right after you kiss it!" "For a girl, you're not very polite!" Yeah, well for a fat guy, you aren't very jolly!" "Ok it's on now." "Just bring it, you poor, pathetic excuse for a man! And you!" I pointed at the zombie. "Stop picking yourself!"  
  
The zombie finally had enough and grabbed my gun away from me. Before I could do anything, the zombie shot himself in the head. He slumped down back into the bathtub face first, the grimy water turning red.  
  
Silence filled the room. We both looked at the ground for a while. Finally, I had to say something.  
  
"I'm sorry." I said  
  
"Me too." Barry said.  
  
More silence.  
  
"Well, go get your gun and lets go." Barry said.  
  
I looked over at the tub. The zombie was still hanging onto it, and the gun was completely submerged in water.  
  
"I can't, it's underwater." I said.  
  
"Well reach in and get it."  
  
"What if the zombie has HIV or something?"  
  
Barry gave me a hard look and I caved in. I rolled up my sleeve and felt around for my gun. The water was cold and disgusting. I finally found it and wrenched it from the zombie's grip.  
  
"Ok let's go." Barry said.  
  
Barry turned around and headed for the door. I wiped my arm on his back.  
  
"Hey!" Barry yelled.  
  
"You'll live." I said, smiling slightly.  
  
We went back into the corridor and kept walking. There were two more windows and a cabinet decorating the room.  
  
I went over to the cabinet, nothing special. I don't think anyone would survive this place.  
  
Just as I thought that, a loud crashing sound filled the room. Four zombies came through the two windows. Looks like it was time to test out my theory.  
  
"Run!" Barry yelled. There was no way we could take on four zombies in such an enclosed space. We went to the end of the hallway, where there were double doors. We ran through them and closed the doors behind us.  
  
"Can they come in after us?" I asked, breathing hard.  
  
Before Barry could answer, the door began shaking violently, and there was no doubt that it wouldn't break open. I quickly looked down the room, there was a door on the right and at the end of the hall, there was a door on the right, and a corridor.  
  
"Let's go down there!" Barry said. "Maybe they'll be too stupid to follow us all the way there.  
  
We ran down the hall, Barry leading the way. He was about to turn the corner when a zombie came lurching out. Barry tried to stop, but it was too late. The zombie grabbed onto Barry and tried to bite him. Barry tried desperately to wrestle away from its grip.  
  
"Barry!" I yelled, and started to come closer to help.  
  
"Stay. back!" Barry managed to choke out while struggling with the zombie. "Just go through another door! I got him."  
  
I reached for the nearest door, but it was locked. I ran to the other door, near the double doors the zombies were trying to break down. Luckily, this one was unlocked. I looked back and I saw Barry push the zombie to the ground. My hand was on the knob, and I was inside, yelling for Barry to hurry.  
  
Barry started for the door, but the other zombies broke open the double doors. This caused a chain reaction. One of the double doors crashed into my door, pushing me down with such force that I fell backward into the room, and slamming the door so hard I broke the doorknob.  
  
"Barry!" I yelled through the door.  
  
I heard him scream and the zombies shuffle. With the knob broken, there was no way he could get in, or I could get out. After a few minutes had passed, I heard nothing.  
  
I began to panic, worrying that Barry was lying out there, a zombie feast. But I had problems on my hands. From inside the room, I heard the unmistakable sound of a zombie.  
  
And I was alone. 


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
I took out my gun, and whirled around quickly. I couldn't see the zombie, but I knew it would be right around the corner. I decided that I had better shoot him before I get trapped. I ran into the room, and the zombie was facing the other way, apparently not hearing (or caring) that I just crashed into the room.  
  
I too a breath, and aimed my gun. I had to be careful, otherwise, it would rob me of the element of surprise.  
  
I pulled the trigger, and I hit him square in the head. The reaction was quite peculiar. His head exploded instantly, and slowly slumped to the ground. I looked at him, unaware that I was breathing like I had run a marathon and I was still aiming the gun. After a few moments, I relaxed a little.  
  
I figured I would be ok for a while. I didn't know how many bullets the gun had in it, but I had plenty of clips. Soon my thoughts strayed to Barry. Was he ok?  
  
I was about to go see if I could break down the door, when I heard another moan. I froze, and looked for the source of the noise. For the first time, I realized that there was a staircase in the room. I looked up, and I saw the zombie, slowly shuffling towards the stairs. I took aim.  
  
I fired once. It hit him in the shoulder area. No good. It barely fazed him. I fired again. This time, it hit him in the chest. The zombie stopped for a moment, but then continued lurching down the steps.  
  
I began to panic. My mind was racing. Sure, a gun had been an effective weapon so far, but it didn't seem right. Vampires had stakes, werewolves had silver bullets, but what was guaranteed against a zombie. I tried to push the thoughts away and fire once more.  
  
Closing my eyes, I pulled the trigger. I heard the zombie yelp in pain, and then fall on the stairs. I opened my eyes. Whew. Must have been one of those Hail Mary shots. However, I was still uneasy. I waited a full 5 minutes before I was sure he was dead.  
  
Cautiously, I walked over to him, kicking him with my foot. Nope, still dead. I breathed a sigh of relief. Two down, Lord knows how many were in this place. I headed up the stairs. Maneuvering carefully over the fallen zombie, I noticed some pictures on the wall. However, their faces were painted out. Maybe I should do that to the pictures of my brother when I get out of here. More like if I get out of here, I thought grimly.  
  
I looked around. One end of the hall was shadowy; the only light was coming from the windows. I decided to head the other way. I wanted to avoid the windows as much as possible, considering what just happened. On the other side, were two doors. One of them didn't have a doorknob, so obviously, I had to go the other way.  
  
I opened the door, and looked out. No sign of life, just a dirty, dingy hallway. Lovely. Maybe instead of sending Martha Stewart to prison, they could just send her here. It would keep her busy for a lifetime. I walked along the hallway, trying to avoid the pieces of broken glass and plates scattered on the floor. I walked by some heavy iron doors, but decided not to go in because they looked too ominous. And in a house such as this, that was quite an accomplishment.  
  
I kept walking and another door showed up. I paused and tried to determine whether or not to enter. However, a sudden cry of pain rang out behind the door, and I rushed in, gun ready.  
  
A young man was slumped against the wall, his arm bleeding profusely. I went over to him. I clearly scared him, but when he saw I wasn't a zombie, he calmed down a bit.  
  
"What happened to you?" I asked him. I looked at his arm. It was too big and deep to be a zombie's bite.  
  
"S. s-snake." He managed to get out. He was very pale and had a hard time getting his breath.  
  
"What can I do?" I asked, trying desperately to sound calm, but failed miserably.  
  
"I. I need. serum." He gasped. He took out a map and marked something with his own blood. "Go to. this room. Y-you can. find. it there." He pointed to something else on the map. "This. is where. we are. At the end. of this. hall." he paused, struggling to speak. "Is the. main hall. You can. find it... from there."  
  
I nodded and took the map from him. "I'll be right back. Hang on!" I said to him, and ran out of the room. I tore down to the end of the hall, and opened the door. Like he said, I was back in the main hall. I checked the map quickly, and ran to the double doors across from me. Past them, I saw, was the place where I had accidentally smashed the statue.  
  
I checked my map again, and went through the correct door. I looked, and saw a staircase.  
  
"Ok, if this map is correct, the serum should be in the room at the bottom of the stairs." I said to myself aloud. I ran down the stairs, and went into the room below them.  
  
Inside was a medical room of some sort. There were shelves upon shelves of little bottles. I scanned them quickly. To my dismay, there must have been about 100 different types of serum on the shelves. Mysolopriph Serum. Therahyldride Serum. Serum Serum?  
  
I was about to give up hope, when I caught sight of the word 'snake' on one of the bottles. I picked up the container and read the label: Serum For Those Bitten By A Large Mutated Snake On The 2nd Floor Of A Mansion Infested With Zombies And Located Conveniently In The Middle Of A Forest Where No One Can Hear You Scream, Endorsed by the Umbrella Corporation.  
  
Well. That's oddly specific. I grabbed the bottle and was on my way out the door, when I spotted a large aerosol can on the floor. I looked at the label, and read that it was a First Aid. Spray? Well, whatever. Unless there was any 'Serum For Those Magically Transported Into A Video Game' I wanted to get out of this room as fast as possible. I grabbed the can and backtracked to the room Richard was in. When I arrived, he was even paler than before and shaking uncontrollably.  
  
"Here!" I said, handing him the bottle. He took it, and took a needle out of a box he had in his pocket. He attempted to administer himself a shot, but he was shaking too severely.  
  
"Give me that. I'll do it." I said, taking the needle from him. I was a little nervous, since I've never given anyone a shot before, but I sprayed the wound with the First Aid stuff, and managed to give him the shot without too much difficulty. He immediately started to look better. The man attempted a smile, but exhausted from the whole ordeal, he passed out. I looked at his uniform. Although covered in blood, I could make out the name 'Richard Aiken' sewn on his shirt. The letters B.R.A.V.O. were also stitched on the front of the uniform. I wonder how many of them are in here? Or how many of them are still alive?  
  
I didn't really want to leave Richard there, but I couldn't move him, and the room looked safe enough. I looked at him. He was breathing quietly, and the wound wasn't bleeding too badly anymore. I looked around. There was another door in the room. Could a zombie come in? Snakes obviously couldn't open doors. but still.  
  
I decided to check it out. I had to make sure there wasn't going to be any zombies to feast on poor Richard here as they did Kenny. I stopped there.  
  
I went thought the door. The room was dusty and I had trouble breathing. Everything looked normal, and I noticed there were two more doors. I wasn't going to bother with it, but I heard a large crash that came from behind one of them. I went up to the door that was the source of the noise. It was the dustiest of all, and I hesitated.  
  
No, you have to make sure Richard doesn't get hurt anymore, I told myself. I opened the door. The doorknob coated my hand with grime. Inside, the room was clearly abandoned; dust and color webs covered the walls. I didn't see anything that caused the crash. I was about to leave, when I saw a shadow move around the back of the room. I took out my gun and waited for it to come out into the light.  
  
It seemed like hours until it appeared. I gasped. The creature was huge; it seemed to take up the whole room. Its eyes burned through me, almost looking at me with a sort of smile. I was frozen. I couldn't move or think. I could only utter one word.  
  
"S... s-snake." 


	5. Chapter 4

[Thanks to all the people who sent me feedback. I really appreciate it! I will try to add a chapter a week or more if I can manage.]  
  
Chapter 4  
  
I looked at the pitiful little gun in my hand, and the giant snake before me. I didn't dare move. I thought about running, but where would I go? If I ran back into the main hall, I'd have more space to work with, but if I did so, it would mean passing by Richard who was an easy target. Then again, the snake didn't follow Richard in the first place did it?  
  
It turns out I didn't have to decide. The snake must have sensed my distress and lunged forward, I managed to leap out of the way just in the nick of time. The snake crashed through the doors I came in.  
  
I ran to the back of the room, and immediately regretted it. There was no way out. Just a hole in the roof the snake must have some in. I turned around, and saw that the snake recovered from its accident. Its eyes were glowing more wildly than ever, and it used its whole body to block the way out. I was trapped.  
  
I had no choice but to fire. I shot the snake a few times, but it was no use. They barely hurt him. If I hadn't known better, I would have sworn the bullets just bounced off of its scales. The snake was getting closer and closer. It was dark, but I could see the light reflecting off its fangs.  
  
Maybe if I don't move, it can't see me, I thought. The snake was about 10ft away from me, and moving closer. This is ridiculous! It's looking right at me! Ok, calm down I told myself. What did that Crocodile Hunter guy say about snakes? Let me think. Crikey. Don't try this at home. More crikey. Oh let's face it, I'm screwed.  
  
I closed my eyes, preparing for the worst. I could hear the snake hiss and slither closer towards me. The wait was unbearable. I knew the snake was taunting me. Playing with its food, sort of.  
  
Suddenly, I heard a loud bang and the snake cry out in pain. I opened my eyes. The snake wasn't paying any attention to me, but had its back turned towards the doorway. I looked over, and there was Richard! He had a shotgun, and it obviously did considerably more damage than my handgun. The snake was bleeding from the back of the head.  
  
I took the opportunity to get out of the corner, and ran to the front of the room. The snake didn't seem to notice, instead choosing to put all of its focus on Richard. Richard, I could tell, was still not fully recovered, but held his ground. He pumped his shotgun, and took aim. The snake, however, was not going to wait for him to shoot, and sprang forward. Richard barely moved out of the way in time.  
  
"Richard! Be careful!" I yelled. He was on the ground, struggling to get up. The snake avoided hitting the wall, and gracefully turned to face Richard. Panicked, I started shooting in order to distract the snake and buy Richard some time. However, the snake was ready, and whipped his tail at me, knocking me on my back.  
  
I hit my head hard on the way down, nearly knocking me unconscious, and my handgun flew across the room. I groaned and got to my knees. The room was spinning, and I rubbed my eyes, trying to focus.  
  
"Look out!" I heard Richard say. The snake was coming at me, but it was too late to move. I froze.  
  
The next thing I remember was being knocked out of the way. It was like the entire scene was set in slow motion. I looked up and saw Richard get devoured by the creature. Blood spattered everywhere. Richard didn't even have enough time to scream.  
  
"NO!" I cried, tears welling up in my eyes. The snake swallowed, and apparently not full enough, looked at me with hungrily. Quickly, I stumbled around, trying to get up. My hand brushed against something. It was Richard's shotgun. I grabbed it, and all the feelings of fear and sorrow was replaced with sheer rage. The snake charged at me for the final time. I took aim and fired.  
  
The snake stopped dead in its tracks about a foot away from me. It let out a small hiss, and fell over. I got it right between the eyes. I got to my feet. Numbly, I retrieved my handgun and what looked to be a radio off the floor and put it in my pockets. After doing all of this calmly and methodically, I broke down and cried.  
  
I sobbed and sobbed. I didn't really think I could take much more of this. First Barry, and now Richard? Hysterical, I grabbed the snake's mouth and forced it open. "Richard!" I screamed over and over again down the snake's throat until my voice gave out.  
  
A few moments later, after having gotten all that out of my system, I took a deep breath and started to head out of the room. Before exiting, I bowed my head. Thank you Richard, I thought to myself.  
  
I walked slowly back to the main hall. Sitting myself down on the stairs, I began to fiddle with the radio. "Hello?" I said. All I got was static. "Hello!" The radio crackled, and then went silent.  
  
It's dead like everything in this goddamned house I thought bitterly. Angry, I threw the radio against the wall.  
  
"This.Brad.cabin.outside mansion." The broken message spurted out of the radio. I ran over to it quickly, straining to hear more. "Warning.stay away. Barry."  
  
Barry? Was he still alive? 


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
I hit the radio a few times with my hands. Nothing. Oh well. At least it gave me a few helpful snippets of information. There is a cabin outside the mansion? Who designed this place!? The rest of the message was unclear however. Was everyone supposed to stay away from the cabin? Or stay away from something else. And why would the person specifically mention Barry?  
  
The only way to find out was to go there, I thought. I had no problems with leaving the mansion, but what if something worse was waiting outside? I mean, that's where that snake came from, right? I sighed. I need to stop thinking so much. Besides, how will I know how to get there?  
  
Dejected, I shoved my hands in my pockets and sat down. Inside, I felt something papery. I took it out, and realized I still had the map Richard gave me! I looked it over, and the back was also a map of the outside of the mansion. I smiled. Richard helps me again.  
  
I studied the map. Let's see, I can get outside from the main hall. I looked around, and at the center of the steps was a mural. In the mural, which I hadn't noticed before, was a door that someone painted over. I went over to it and opened it. I stuck my head outside. The air was cool, and it was extremely dark. Even the lights outside barely cut through the darkness.  
  
Cautiously, I stepped outside. I held my shotgun ready, just in case. Gulping, I started to explore the area a bit. The ground was mossy, and there were large weeds poking through the cracks in the pavement. Near the gates were large stones. A closer look revealed them to be. tombstones! I looked at the names: B. Ware, Runn A. Way, Watt R. Uwaitingfor, and M. Getoutnowyoustupidmoron. Hmm. That last one must be Italian.  
  
Moving on, I saw a large gate that led back into the mansion. I was about to enter, when something caught my eye. There was a large crypt near the edge of the woods surrounding the manor. An eerie glow came from the tomb, and the curiosity getting the best of me, I decided to check it out. Maybe the glow is a sign of life. Huh. A sign of life coming from a tomb? That's like an oxymoron. Or an allegory. Maybe even a paradox.  
  
Anyway, the mausoleum was underground, and there were steps leading down into it. Maybe this isn't such a great idea, I thought. Suddenly, I heard a slight rustling sound behind me. I whirled around, and looked everywhere. Due to the darkness however, I couldn't make anything out. I gripped my shotgun tightly.  
  
"Who's there?" I called out. At once, a dog came partly out of the shadows. "Awww! Here doggy doggy!" I said. I loved dogs! And it would be nice to have some form of company with me. "Here doggy! Here dog-" I stopped, my mouth still open. The dog came all the way out into the light. It was covered in sores, and parts of its flesh were missing, showing the animal's bones and organs. The dog growled, and foam collected at its mouth. Then he started to run towards me.  
  
Shocked, I tried to move backwards, but forgetting the steps as well. I tumbled down the stairs, and as soon as I landed, a large gate came down, separating me and the hound just before it pounced. The dog barked and snarled at me through the gate, but it couldn't get in. Still dazed from the fall, I remained on the ground until the hound gave up and slinked away.  
  
Slowly, I got up and brushed myself off. Looking around, the crypt was dark and the air was awfully musty. I couldn't get out the way I came in, obviously, so I had no choice but to go through the rest of the tomb. There was odd machinery and gears turning at the sides of the walls. I reached the end there was no door or any way out. How was I going to get out of here?  
  
I looked up at the ceiling and gasped. Being held in the air by four chains was a coffin. Having no desire to see what type of creature deserved this 'special' treatment, I backed away immediately. However, it was too late. One of the chains broke off, causing blood to spurt everywhere. I started to run, not wanting to know where that blood was coming from. I heard another chain snap and a spattering of blood. I reached the gate and started shaking it as hard as I could. Another chain broke along with some more blood spill.  
  
"Help!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. Only one more chain left.  
  
The final snap occurred and the coffin landed on the floor with a loud thunk. Hesitantly, I turned around. The coffin was still closed. I waited for what seemed like an eternity, just listening to the sound of my own breathing and the whirr of the machinery. Then, the coffin started to move. Whatever was inside it was certainly awake. Then the movement got more violent. Whatever was inside was also pissed. The creature banged on the lid, and it didn't look like the lid was going to hold out much longer. Finally, it broke through the top and sat up.  
  
It was a zombie, except it looked slightly different. The zombies so far had been blank and emotionless thus far, but this one looked positively livid. It let out a screech of anger and got up. Also, this one looked smarter and its movements were fluid, instead of jerky, like the other zombies. And as I came to find out, it was much, MUCH, faster.  
  
It sprinted towards me, and I barely had any time to react. I fired the shotgun, and even though the shot was at close range, it only managed to stop the zombie instead of killing it. Shocked, I froze, and the zombie took this opportunity to swing at me. I jumped back, but not before it sliced my shirt. I looked over and realized that the creature also had some very sharp claws. Knowing that I couldn't stay this close, I pumped the shotgun and took another shot. This time, I could tell it hurt him. He fell to the floor.  
  
I have to put some distance between us, I thought. I ran to the back of the crypt, near the coffin. Looking back, I saw that the uber zombie was still down. Glancing at my shotgun, I wondered how many more shots it would take. I stood my ground, waiting for it to strike again. The zombie got to its feet, a look of pure hatred on its face. I gulped. It ran toward me at lightning speed again. This time, I was ready. I fired again, catching him in the chest. Apparently, this was too much for the zombie, and he collapsed. But, not before giving one last death 'gurgle.'  
  
Immediately, the gate lifted from the front of the crypt. I was about to run out, when something caught my eye. Inside the coffin was a little disk with the design of a lion on it. It was a little odd; the object was made of metal, with a stone ring around it. I pocketed it, and decided to leave this forsaken place. I ran up the steps, not caring why the gate opened it at the precise time I killed the monster. Checking carefully for the dog, I went out into the open air. It felt much better to be out of that tomb.  
  
I have to go through there, I thought, looking at the gate that led back into the mansion. I went through it, and found myself in an odd looking room. There were different stained glass windows of various colors. Now honestly, what is this room used for? Why would someone build such a thing? I'd like to meet the architect who created this monstrosity. Venting the anger helped, and I left the room and entered a more normal-looking hallway. It seemed safe enough, so I decided to take a break.  
  
Looking down at my tattered shirt, I noticed the zombie cut it through it, but missed my skin. I shuddered at how close I came to being disemboweled. Let's see, that is the. fifth time I nearly died tonight. Where do I get my card stamped?  
  
I was about to move on when I realized something. This was the exact same hallway I lost Barry in. I ran to the end to make sure. The double doors were still broken down, and the door I had escaped through was missing its knob. There was no blood on the floor or walls, and there were no zombies either. How'd Barry get himself out of this one? Or had he?  
  
I got to get out of here, I thought. I checked the map, and went through the door at the end of the hallway. I was outside again. There was a narrow pathway, dimly lit. Cautiously, I walked onward. At the end was a door, but it was locked. I banged and kicked it, but was too strong to break down. Now what?  
  
I looked around, and saw a small indentation in the wall. There was a circle that read "To the defiler of the accursed coffin." Coffin? I grabbed the disk out of my pocket and stuck it in the hole. I heard a small click, and I knew the door was unlocked. At least going into the tomb wasn't a complete waste of time. I opened the door.  
  
The door led to some type of shed. There were double doors, and some steps leading down to another door. It was pretty dim, but an object on the ground was shining brightly. I looked, and there was some type of medallion on the floor. I picked it up, and there was a picture depicting wind. Well, why not? I put it in my pocket. Checking the map again, I figured that I needed to go down the steps.  
  
I did so, and to my disappointment, it led to an extremely woodsy area. It seemed like I was going out into the middle of nowhere. Well, more out into the middle of nowhere. A hill went down, and it was too dark to see what was at the bottom. Guess I'll just have to see for myself. As I was walking, I kept my grip on my shotgun, as the place was unfathomably eerie. Hmm. Loud thunder with lightning? Check. Secluded forest? Creepy sounds coming from unidentifiable source? Check. Evil looking statues? Oh, there's one. At the bottom of the hill was a statue of three dogs similar to the one that attacked me. Check and mate.  
  
I finally reached a gate, and happy to see some sign of civilization, I went through them. Past the gates was a courtyard area. The grass was long and unkempt, and the pavement was rough and cracked. Walking along, I spotted two large statue type stones that had odd designs on them. I went over to them, and at the bottom of one of the stones was a small circular groove that had an inscription. It read "When the wind sweeps across the earth, stars will shine in the heavens."  
  
Remembering the shiny medallion I found in the shed, I pulled it out and put it in the hole. The bottom part of the statue rotated around and revealed three more medallions. I went over to the second statues, and there were three more circular indentations. Putting the medallions in the corresponding holes, the bottom rotated and revealed a gun.  
  
Well. That was certainly elaborate. I picked up the gun. It was silver and not unlike Barry's gun, except much smaller, of course. I put the gun in my pocket. Jeez, it's like I'm starting a collection. I better get moving, I thought. I've had too many distractions. It's been at least an hour since I heard the radio message.  
  
Moving on, I reached another gate. It led to another hill, this time leading up, and I could barely make out a house. That must be the cabin. I began my descent up the hill. There was no clear path, and the weeds and rocks made climbing difficult. Gee, another design genius. Get away from your creepy mansion, and spend a weekend in the middle of a spooky forest in an isolated cabin today!  
  
I finally reached the top after what seemed like hours. The cabin was small, and looked to be in extreme disrepair. I tried looking through the windows, but I couldn't see anything. After pacing back and forth a bit, I mustered the courage to go inside.  
  
This is it I thought. I pushed the door open with a little more force than I intended, resulting in it slamming loudly. So much for the element of surprise. I rushed in quickly, but kept close to the entrance, just in case.  
  
"Hello?" I called out. Nothing. I looked around. There was a lit fireplace in the middle of the room, and there were some steps leading up and back that I couldn't see. I inspected the fireplace. It looked like it had just been started. Maybe whoever lit it just stepped out for a moment. Too nervous to just stand around, I decided to check out the rest of the cabin. I went up the steps. It was incredibly dusty and there was junk all over the place.  
  
I went into the back room, and there was nothing there except some weird handle or crank on the ground. I normally wouldn't have bothered with it, but it was so. shiny. I picked it up and put it in my pocket. Woah. These pants are really roomy.  
  
All of a sudden, I heard the cabin door open and close. Startled, I warily walked towards the front.  
  
"Hello?" No answer. Why doesn't anyone ever answer me?  
  
I walked through the doorway and everything went black.  
  
********************************************  
  
I woke up in front of the fireplace. There was broken wood all around me. Everything was blurry, but I could make out that I broke the railing up the steps and landed on the ground. My head was pounding, and I couldn't think straight. Did I fall?  
  
I tried to get up, but it hurt too much to move. I heard something dragging across the floor. I looked around but couldn't see anything. Then there was a rattling sound. like chains. I looked up, toward the steps. There was a shadow coming toward me. Trying desperately to get up, all I could manage was to crawl. I have to get away.  
  
The shadow was coming closer. I couldn't get up. I began to panic. Where's my shotgun? It must still be upstairs. Fuck! Even closer now. The door seemed like a million miles away. I couldn't speak. The shadow moaned. I looked up, and immediately wished I hadn't. The shadow was finally visible.  
  
The creature was indescribable. It was like a lump of flesh, all its distinguishing features melted into one solid mass. It was wearing rags, and its skinny arms were tied together at the hands with what appeared to be metal stocks. Upon further notice, it looked like it had human faces attached to its body. I tried to scream, tried to move, but I couldn't do anything.  
  
The monster screamed and jumped onto the floor in front of me. I finally snapped out of it and reached into my pockets. I grabbed the first gun I felt and fired. It was the handgun, and the bullets were having no effect. The monster swung its arms down at me, and I rolled out of the way, towards the fireplace. I felt the heat on my face, and nearly choked on the smoke.  
  
I managed to back away a few feet, coughing and sputtering. The creature left a giant hole in the floor. My head hurt worse than ever, and I couldn't see clearly. I fired away, and I knew I was missing terribly. I fired until I heard the click that meant there were no more bullets. I shoved the gun back in my pocket, and retrieved the other one. I tried to steady my hands, and aimed. I fired and was surprised at the amount of kickback I received. I nearly dropped the gun.  
  
It was still no use, the creature was no angrier than ever, and was shuffling towards me. I struggled to get up, and managed to get on my knees. I couldn't run however, and was on the verge of giving up. The room was spinning, and I felt myself slipping.  
  
Loud shots brought me out of my daze, and I looked up. The creature was on the ground, writhing. Someone put my arm over their shoulder and lifted me up and practically dragged me out of the cabin. My head was throbbing and the trees and ground looked like a blur. I couldn't even see who was helping me.  
  
"Are you ok?" said a familiar voice.  
  
"Barry? Is that you?" I said, shocked.  
  
"Yeah. Looks like we got a little separated." He said, calmly.  
  
I hope I'm not hallucinating this. I wanted to ask him a million questions, but the only think I could do was concentrate on trying to walk. He was virtually carrying me, as the only think I could do was drag my feet. I felt like I was going to vomit. How hard had that. thing hit me?  
  
Before I knew it we were back at the shed. He set me on the ground, but I felt like I was still moving.  
  
"What happened?" He asked.  
  
I couldn't speak, so I just pointed to my head. He nodded.  
  
"There is a place where you can rest, but I can't get there until I get some sort of crank." He said.  
  
Crank. I checked my pocket. I pulled it out and gave it to him. He seemed surprised.  
  
"Where did you get this?" He asked.  
  
"Cabin." I croaked. Picking up shiny things is really working out for me.  
  
"Let's go, you need to rest." He picked me up, and I leaned on him for support. We went out the double doors, and walked outside. I was getting steadily worse, and I couldn't make out any details of the area. I heard Barry open a gate, and we walked for a little while until he sat me down on the ground. The land was wet, but I didn't care. I looked around, and all I could see was a big body of water.  
  
Barry inserted the crank into a hole in the wall, and started turning. The water started to drain, and I looked down into the pool, and saw some ladders leading to the other side. Barry picked me up and led me over to the ladder.  
  
"Be careful. I'll go down first, and catch you if you fall, ok?" He said, and went down the ladder. I gripped the sides tightly, and put my foot on the rung. I was hit by a wave of dizziness, but somehow hung on. I lowered myself down, with Barry's help. The same routine went for the second ladder, and miraculously, I got to the top without any incident.  
  
"It's only a little bit further. Hang on." He said, but I could barely hear him. I stared at the ground, since I barely had any energy to lift my head. The blurriness was making me sick. I closed my eyes. I want to go home. I want all of this to go away. I want to murder my brother with my bare hands.  
  
"We're here." Barry said. I opened my eyes quickly. I hadn't even realized how much time passed. We were in a bedroom, and Barry helped me over to the bed.  
  
"Stay here, I'll come back for you later." He said. I didn't even nod, for I passed out as soon as he finished the sentence. 


End file.
